Bindi Irwin Stars in Hallmark Channel’s “Return to Nim’s Island”

Posted on March 9, 2013 at 8:00 am

Bindi Irwin, the 14-year-old daughter of wildlife enthusiast Steve Irwin, stars in “Return to Nim’s Island,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere on Friday, March 15 (8 p.m. ET/PT, 7C).

“Return to Nim’s Island” kicks off Hallmark Channel’s new Walden Family Theater, created by Walmart, P&G, Walden Media and ARC Entertainment. “Return to Nim’s Island” is based on the novel Nim at Sea by Australian author Wendy Orr and is the sequel to the 2008 action-adventure international box office hit “Nim’s Island.” In “Return to Nim’s Island,” Nim (Irwin) and her father Jack (Matthew Lillard; “The Descendants,” “Scream”) discover that greedy resort developers plan to buy their beloved Nim’s Island and turn it into a tourist destination, endangering the local wildlife. So Nim takes it upon herself to recruit some animal allies in her battle against the forces who care more about profitability than morality. One of her assistants includes Selkie, a savvy sea lion and Nim’s best pal. Selkie winds up getting kidnapped by a fisherman and his sons (John Waters, Sebastian Gregory, Jack Pearson) who intend to sell her. Nim realizes she can’t depend on her animal cohorts alone and relies on her first human friend, Edmund (Toby Wallace), to help save her home. Along with Jack’s intern, Felix (Nathan Derrick), Nim and Edmund work together and try to defeat the developers and save the beloved island and its endangered species.

Smile of the Week: Go El Paso Thunderbirds!

Posted on February 26, 2013 at 12:16 pm

This is a coach — and a team — who understand the score. Many thanks to my friend Ann Horak for sharing this touching story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuFWTw3NJA4

Beliefnet’s Movie of the Month: To Kill a Mockingbird

Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:00 am

I was thrilled to have a chance to write about one of the greatest movies of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Movie of The Month for Beliefnet’s Entertainment Corner. It is the rare case where a great book inspired a great movie, which perfectly evokes the perspective of Scout, the young daughter of lawyer Atticus Finch, as he takes on the defense of a black man accused of assaulting a white woman. The reason that it lives on as more than an artifact of the Civil Rights era is that it is a timeless story of a father and his children, of the way that courtesy (or the lack of it) transforms our relationships, the growing understanding of children as they begin to think about the world, and what justice means.

And, it has that unforgettable Elmer Bernstein score.

Every family should share this marvelous film and book.

Brooklyn Castle

Posted on October 18, 2012 at 2:43 pm

A-

Lowest Recommended Age:	All Ages
MPAA Rating:	PG for some language
Profanity:	Some schoolyard language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	None
Diversity Issues:	A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:	October 18, 2012

I.S. 318 is a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school. And its students have won more national chess championships than any other in the country. So this is a touching and inspiring story of triumph and what can be accomplished in spite of the most daunting of obstacles if there is someone who believes in you. And it is a story of the joys of intellectual passion and a game that goes back centuries, even in an era of saturation in digital media. There is much of what you expect — gifted kids, dedicated teacher, tense anticipation, thrilling victories. The characters are endearing and their stories are stirring.

This movie is also frank about the vulnerability of these programs. We see so much that is made possible by so little, and how fragile even that little can be. These children have endless spirit, skill, and devotion. They can solve complex mathematical puzzles that involve intricate, multi-step strategies. But the adults around them may not be able to show the same level of commitment or ability to think ahead to enable these kids to continue to benefit from the chess program.

Parents should know that this film includes the portrayal of children in difficult circumstances and some schoolyard language.

Family discussion: What do you have to be good at to succeed in chess? What makes this chess program so important to the kids?

If you like this try: “Mad Hot Ballroom” and “Searching for Bobby Fischer” — and try a game of chess!

Frankenweenie

Posted on October 4, 2012 at 6:00 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	4th - 6th Grades
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG for thematic elements, scary images, and action
Profanity:	Schoolyard language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Ghoulish horror images and some peril
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters:	October 5, 2012
Date Released to DVD:	January 6, 2013
Amazon.com ASIN:	B005LAIIA8

Mary Shelley’s Victor Frankenstein was a scientist who wanted to create life. Tim Burton’s Victor Frankenstein is a kid who just wants his dog back.

Writer/director and master of the macabre Burton first developed this idea in a 1984 live action short film that got him fired by Disney because it was too scary for children. Times have changed, and Disney came to Burton to ask him to develop a feature length remake in 3D stop-motion — and in black and white. Burton, who had worked in black and white (“Ed Wood”) and stop-motion animation (“The Corpse Bride,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas”) tells a deliciously ghoulish story with visual wit, panache and a lot of heart.

It is, after all, the story of a boy and his dog. Victor (Charlie Tahan) is a bit of a loner and his dog Sparky is his best friend. When Sparky is killed by a car, Victor decides to harness the power of lightning to try to bring him back to life. At first, it does not seem to work, but then Sparky’s tail starts wagging. And then it wags itself off. “I can fix that!” the happy Victor reassures his re-animated pet. It’s just a matter of a few quick stitches.

One of Victor’s classmates is Edgar “E” Gore (“The Middle’s” Atticus Shaffer), a mishappen but cheerful kid fascinated with creepy things. (His name is “E” Gore, get it?) He pressures Victor to tell him what happened and soon all the kids are trying their own experiments. And then, perhaps because their hearts are not as pure as Victor’s (they want to win the science fair), because they are not as careful and knowledgeable, or just old-fashioned hubris, that is when things begin to go terribly wrong.

This first-ever black and white stop-action animated film is a visual treat with dozens of witty details. I loved it when Sparky’s poodle doggie crush next door (they have a Pyramus and Thisbe-style fence between them) gets enough of an electronic jolt to give her fur white streaks in tribute to Elsa Lanchester’s iconic Bride of Frankenstein. Martin Landau, who won an Oscar in Burton’s “Ed Wood,” gives a delicious performance as Victor’s teacher. Burton’s own pleasure in the twisted and demented is evident in the comic grotesquery of the characters. One creepy little girl insists on seeing omens in her cat’s poop, and when Victor’s classmates try to appropriate his methods, things go bizarrely off-kilter. It does not reach the poetry of “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” but there are plenty of tricks and treats.

Parents should know that this film has ghoulish and macabre themes inspired by classic monster stories, children and adult characters in peril, a sad death of beloved pet, some potty humor, some violence and disturbing graphic images, and some schoolyard language.

Family discussion: How is this story most like the original “Frankenstein?” How is it most different? Which monster is the scariest and why? Why was it hard for Victor to make friends?

If you like this, try: “ParaNorman,” “Monster House,” “Beetlejuice,” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”